metanexusinstitute: conferences

2014

ONE DAY UNIVERSE

Big History is a single narrative account of the history of our universe, the evolution of our planet, the rise of our species, and the accelerating drama of human civilization. One Day Universe will bring together the brightest and most innovative minds for an inspired and entertaining conference featuring short-format talks, workshops, exhibitions, and Little Big History interactive experiences.

2010

We are after something like “the whole story of the whole cosmos for the whole person.” We are “after” it because we do not have it. What we do have are stories told to us and by us in our various academic fields, intellectual areas of expertise, diverse faith traditions, and cultural contexts.

2009

There is something within us that demands we pursue the whole story of the whole cosmos if we are to be whole persons, in order to know who we are, where we are from, where we are going, and how we should live.

2008

To understand ourselves, our place in the cosmos, and our relation to each other and the divine, we must adopt rich approaches that cut across fields of knowledge, institutional boundaries, cultural borders, and religious traditions.

2007

Does hyper-specialization produce significant problems? Does it, and must it, lead to disintegration, a fracturing of knowledge, of culture, and of the soul? What impact has it had on education? And what are its implications for the "science and religion dialogue"?

2005

Today more than ever before in history we have the opportunity to encounter and consider a panoply of perspectives from around the world on the most fascinating questions of science and the most pressing questions of justice and human flourishing.

2004

This international conference examined foundational questions in the natural sciences, new approaches to the human sciences, all with the aim of discerning the whereto and why of humanity, cosmos, and the divine in the 21st century.

2003

How do our complex brains, unique imaginations, communicative abilities, reasoning powers, moral sense, and spiritual and religious promptings give rise to the remarkable yet not at all uncommon practice of unselfish love for our neighbors, or those we do not even know?

2002

Interpretation is important. It matters what we mean by interpretation, how we come to our interpretations, and how we legitimate them. And we may find that interpretation is the key to enriching the dialogue between these two great pillars of culture: religion and science.